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A Memory Called Empire || book review (some spoilers)

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Sci-Fi Odyssey

Sci-Fi Odyssey

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 32
@chucklitka2503
@chucklitka2503 2 жыл бұрын
I dislike spending time with unpleasant characters, so the fact that the characters were nice, was a plus. I liked the culture, though I didn't get any real picture of the place itself. I just went along with the story and didn't think ahead, but even so, I thought the plot was rather simple and the ending had very little to do with the bulk of the story and next to nothing to do with the main character. I did, however finish it, which is more than I can say about a lot of recent SF books, so I gave it a B; a good book. I doubt however, that I will read the sequel.
@touche5616
@touche5616 3 жыл бұрын
I felt similarly about this book. Some of the set up for future books seemed interesting, but since I didn't enjoy this one, I'm not sure I'll read any more.
@thomascromwell6840
@thomascromwell6840 Жыл бұрын
It's such a boring book. I need detail about the language. At least Tolkien didn't handwave away the elves. Tell me their stories, their legends of the past etched in poetry and memorized by every citizen from birth. If the planet is wealthy, show me its opulence and not in little drops every ten or so pages. I cannot believe the book got the Hugo award. I have been so disappointed every time I picked it up. It took a while to read.
@saucebot7214
@saucebot7214 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the honest review. It feels like this book was a darling of the critics, and it was hard to get a good feel on whether this book is actually good or not. It doesn’t quite sound like what I’m interested in. Great work mate.
@houston1342
@houston1342 3 жыл бұрын
Screw this book
@jaxalec2362
@jaxalec2362 3 жыл бұрын
I realize Im kind of off topic but does anyone know of a good place to watch new tv shows online ?
@skeliskull
@skeliskull 8 ай бұрын
I felt this book started off really strong. But lost me about half way through. At a certain point it felt like it was over describing too many thoughts in Mahit’s head and by the end of it I just felt like the book did not respect the reader’s time at all. I had to skim the last 70 pages or so to get through it. Too much fluff for what was overall a very simple story. In the end - the political intrigue offered here was kind of minimal in the grand scheme of things and it didn’t leave much to interest me in reading the sequel.
@Exaar
@Exaar 3 жыл бұрын
I enjoyed this book, but the fact that it won the Hugo over Gideon the Ninth which was also nominated is a crime IMO. Gideon was a much better book. Still, this was pretty good, and the sequel, which I have also now read, did a lot to improve the series as a whole, I think.
@jorgerapalo2673
@jorgerapalo2673 Жыл бұрын
I share a lot of your impression of the book and its shortcomings. The premis, ideas, world-building, it all was enormously promising, an interesting mixture of LeGuin, Asimov and Banks, but the execution felt rather lacking, like a young adult version (with the so-likeable bland lead who everyone tried to help), a version that ultimately sanded off the potential grit and controversial edges and left a much sanitized and oversimplified version behind. For all the promise of the initial world-building, there was a sense of lack of scale. It was a great empire yet it all felt rather small and provincial, without the multiple layers of structure such an empire would accumulate, and the political scene was also similarly small and lacking real sophistication. Even books like Zelazny's Amber can fail at this, making the worlds seem reduced to a handful of convenient locations instead of being a vast complex backdrop, but at least those deliver the plot in better fashion and with more complex characters. While the focus on language was meant to prepare us for its use as a tool/weapon of change/persuasion, it felt too pedestrian in execution to be convincing. Someone like Samuel Delany may have pulled it off in his heyday, but in this work, we are just told it worked as it did instead of convincing us that it did.
@AndyJStephen
@AndyJStephen 2 жыл бұрын
I literally finished the book this morning and it was just OK... given the amount of praise lavished upon it I thought I must be missing something so I was glad to watch your review to find you had almost the entirely the same criticisms of it as I did. There were a lot of really interesting ideas that just felty really underdeveloped. Interesting plot developments just seemed to be rushed to a conclusion. Political intrigue? No, everyone was too nice to each other. Murder mystery? Hastily resolved. Cultural assimilation? The main character had a lot of affinity with the assimilating culture in the first place, although I did find that the emphasis on language and poetry in Teixcalaan culture was really well done. The only unresolved plot point, the dangling impending threat of something, was interesting but so briefly mentioned that there was't much to get excited about for resolution in future books. The same can be said for alot of the characters... Three Seagrass in particular was so underwritten that her constant perfectness began to grate on me very quickly. Her definining characteristics were that she was nice and capable... which is the defining characteristic of most characters. There was little time spent on characters that did seem to have something more about them. Do feel that I'm being overly critical of it and that's entirely my own fault because I went in with far too high an expectation of the book, and it was an enjoyable enough read.... I'm picking my way through Hugo winners so I'll get to the sequel at some point, and I'm not dreading the prospect
@marlinthecreative118
@marlinthecreative118 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this review. I heard so much about his book. Then it landed like a thud.
@Student_of_human_condition
@Student_of_human_condition 9 ай бұрын
I find that i agree with many of your criticisn points but ultimately for me there was enough good interesting stuff to make me suspend my disbelief. The lack of plausible diplomacy tactics and the juvenile and unrealistic friendship between mahit and three seagrass was what detracted the most for me. Would still give it 8/10
@gosnooky
@gosnooky 14 сағат бұрын
I'm 15% through this book, and it's getting put in my DNF pile. I cannot get into the story because of the author's writing style. First, is the intrusive over-use of *italics*. I feel Italics should be reserved for things like names of ships and the like, but they seem to be there to tell me, the reader, where and how I should emphasize words in a sentence. This just feels like the writer doesn't respect the reader enough to allow them to do it on their own. Second, the names. While I expect SFF to use unusual names for places and characters (especially in the distant future where Frank and Jim would feel out of place), I found the use of Meso-American (Nahuatl) inspired names to be distracting and unreadable enough to break my concentration trying to pronounce them. I have similar troubles with some characters in Iain Banks' Culture novels. It is possible to create unique and foreign names without having to spill out random scrabble tiles or brew up words from a dead civilization. Third, this was labeled as "space opera," one of my favorite sub-genres. Space opera it is not. When glancing at non-spoiler reviews on GoodReads, it seems this story takes place over only a week in a single location. It's not space opera, but an overly-indulgent political intrigue and murder mystery. While these elements are welcome in any space opera, for me, there needs to be more SCIENCE. Less less nerding out on language, poetry, and political etiquette. I'd also like to mention that the whole "ambassador going to the capital after their predecessor dies in a questionable manner prompting an investigation while aiming to stop an annexation" plot is so transparently derivative of Game of Thrones, it was a large influence on my decision to give up. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but if I'm not gripped by the fourth chapter, and the writing semantics annoy or patronize me, I just can't. I watched your spoiler section just so I could get some closure. In the end, it got the impression the author spent more time developing the world and pronunciation guide than she did with composing a compelling story. Your 2.5 star rating, in my opinion, is generous.
@bazoo513
@bazoo513 Жыл бұрын
I am afraid that your reading of _Memory..._ was spoiled by your expectations what is _should_ be, not reading it as it _is._ There _was_ quite sufficient amount of plotting, back stabbing and political intrigue for my tastes - it's just that Martine gave priority to painting a strange, intriguing society (that evokes some taste of ancient imperial China or Japan to me, with their rigid focus on tradition and considering their culture the only deserving that word) over plotting cliches of pulp spy thrillers. Relationship between Mahit and Three Seagrass go far beyond simple "us vs. them", as it is happening in times of great political upheaval in the empire itself.
@ToddsBookTube91
@ToddsBookTube91 Жыл бұрын
Todd here. New subscriber here. I saw this book at Barnes & Noble. The premise on the back seemed interesting.
@solithedreamer
@solithedreamer 3 жыл бұрын
I really enjoyed A Memory Called Empire, im generally interested in language and how it works, also a fan of the planet overall. I also liked learning new interesting english words as a non native speaker (like ecumenopolis and usurp) it felt a lot like a book thats very "for me" in a way but i get its not for everyone and has some flaws objectively. I just started the second book thats set on the space station and the prologue has me really intrigued! Anyway, it was interesting to hear another perspective on the story (:
@starwarsfan9575
@starwarsfan9575 3 жыл бұрын
Good review! P.S. 4th dune novel added to your collection!!
@Sci-FiOdyssey
@Sci-FiOdyssey 3 жыл бұрын
Sharp eyes!
@starwarsfan9575
@starwarsfan9575 3 жыл бұрын
@@Sci-FiOdyssey 😄 my copy also arrived last week so noticed it immediately! 5th and 6th are on the way
@mat1437
@mat1437 3 жыл бұрын
is there any chance we might get a narnia controversy video soon? :p great video btw! keep up the hard work!! :)
@Sci-FiOdyssey
@Sci-FiOdyssey 3 жыл бұрын
Hmmm 🤔 possibly. Funnily enough I have another controversy video dropping later.
@mat1437
@mat1437 3 жыл бұрын
@@Sci-FiOdyssey awesome! i will be tuning in 😉
@andreasxanthros5853
@andreasxanthros5853 3 жыл бұрын
I've had this on my radar for a while now, but something has always held me back. I decided to watch the entire video despite the spoilers and I must say that this is an outstanding review. It is thoughtful and thorough, so thanks Darrel. Many booktubers have gushed over this but I must say that when I watch their videos, I'm hearing a summary of the book more than anything else. This is not what I expect in a review. I can get a precis of the novel from Goodreads or even Wikipedia. These same booktubers will also mention phrases such as "world building" or "character development" in ways that make me suspect that they don't know what they are talking about. Do these people write fiction? Study creative writing? I cannot help but wonder if a lot of people do not know how to read critically or carefully. I find myself occasionally putting aside books others gush over because I find too many plot holes or two-dimensional characters or uninteresting, tired approaches to standard tropes and themes. Perhaps when I encounter universal acclaim for a novel, it makes me suspect. However, now that I have heard for the first time some negative comments about A Memory Called Empire, I'm now intrigued. Ironic, eh? Arkady Martine is a scholar of Byzantine history and has applied what she has learned about that era to this science fiction setting. I have a lot of respect for someone able to do that and still may read this. Thanks again for an exceptional review of this book as well as all the others you do on this channel.
@Sci-FiOdyssey
@Sci-FiOdyssey 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for your thoughts on this. I do think reviews are more than just a description of the book and I personally appreciate a good honest review... warts an’ all. Sometimes I do catch myself asking if I’m sometimes overly critical but it’s always honestly just what I think and people can take it or leave it. I’d love to get your thoughts on this book if you end up reading it. It’s safe to say I’m probably not going to read the second.
@andreasxanthros5853
@andreasxanthros5853 3 жыл бұрын
@@Sci-FiOdyssey Hi again Darrel. If I do read it, I'll post some thoughts here. Sorry for ranting above, but it is what I observe these days. I do appreciate you taking a chance and voicing your concerns and thoughts with a critically neutral objective stance. Some of the problems I also see lies with publishers, too. I am sometimes incredulous as to what is produced. Readers gobble up the books thinking that all published material represents a gold standard of writing. Ursula Le Guin had some thoughts on that in her National Book Award acceptance speech in 2014. If you haven't seen it, it is worth listening to her. The speech is inspirational for all artists. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6Wcf5ljp9h0gs0
@Sci-FiOdyssey
@Sci-FiOdyssey 3 жыл бұрын
Wow! Thank you for sending this. ULG is such a legend and will always be a major inspiration in my own writing.
@SatyaPrakash-hs1ni
@SatyaPrakash-hs1ni 3 жыл бұрын
@@Sci-FiOdyssey Please review the following English language sci fi books by Indian authors. You will attract a large following. 1. The Return of Vaman by J. V. Narlikar1. The Return of Vaman by J. V. Narlikar 2. The Five Friends Battle Against Aliens by Kiran Kumar Singh 3. Chosen Spirits by Sumit Basu 4. Aliens in Delhi by Sami Ahmad Khan 2. The Five Friends Battle Against Aliens by Kiran Kumar Singh 3. Chosen Spirits by Sumit Basu 4. Aliens in Delhi by Sami Ahmad Khan
@HasteWriting
@HasteWriting 2 жыл бұрын
Huh, I had no trouble with the "niceness". I mean, for one thing, Three Seagrass's job as liaison basically means she's supposed to be nice, and then she grew to like Mahit over time. Worked for me. I loved this story. Shared my thoughts here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ope0Y319mdynrM0
@badz6084
@badz6084 10 ай бұрын
Great review i just wished you raise your voice a little bit
@peterconway6584
@peterconway6584 3 жыл бұрын
So... Is this the new trend in sci-fi, inoffensive, conflict-free wokeness?
@jamesbeedle978
@jamesbeedle978 3 жыл бұрын
It didn't feel like that when reading it. I think it just came across as having a more real world vibe, i.e no Machiavellian schemers with power hungry agendas. It was actually kinda refreshing.
@leftspeaker2000
@leftspeaker2000 2 жыл бұрын
I really disliked this book. It sounded good in theory, but nothing happend in the whole book! None of the characters were well developed, I hated how everyone was named, and it was really woke.
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